Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-13-002

Internet Watch

by Kate
Sullivan

FHWA Site Highlights Revenue, Finance Options for Major Projects

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established its Office
of Innovative Program Delivery in 2008 to provide tools, expertise, and
financing to help the transportation community develop innovative strategies
for delivering complex infrastructure projects. In a time of declining revenues
and increasing fiscal requirements, State and local transportation agencies
need the capacity to evaluate financing, revenue, and delivery options at each
stage of project development.

The program's Web site serves
as the primary tool for sharing information. "Our goal is to make publications,
analytical tools, and other resources available to the people making the
decisions about finance and revenue at the State and local levels," says Regina
McElroy, director of the Office of Innovative Program Delivery. "Our office
serves as a reliable source of information to help our partners deliver
transportation projects in the public interest."

Sophisticated
Design, Easy Navigation

The site features sections devoted to each of the five key program
areas:

Each
program area's page provides background information; details on relevant tools,
programs, and legislation; and technical resources, including planning guides,
finance tools, and data sets. Information pertaining to major projects and
financial tools such as private activity bonds and grant anticipation revenue
vehicles is updated frequently, and the TIFIA interest rate is updated daily.

Although
it houses more than 600 files, the portal's navigation is intuitive, and
information is easy to find. Users can access the five program areas from any
page on the portal, as well as project profiles, fact sheets, a glossary, a
calendar, resources, and information about the Moving Ahead for Progress in the
21st Century Act (MAP-21).

The home page features a
comprehensive section entitled "How the IPD Office Does Business," as well as a
"Find it Fast" section containing major topics of interest to users, news
items, job postings, and a feedback forum.

Useful Tools
and Resources

Jennifer Mayer, senior program advisor in the
Office of Innovative Program Delivery, highlights the 16 fact sheets -- one- or
two-page page summaries of the office's programs and technical tools -- among
the Web site's most valuable features. "For example," she says, "staffers in a
State department of transportation whose legislature is considering passing
public-private partnership legislation could use a fact sheet to learn how
these partnerships work and what the potential benefits of such an arrangement
might be. In the past, to access information about public-private partnerships,
people would typically have to attend conferences that can cost thousands of
dollars. Our resources, which can tell users about both the advantages and the
limitations of specific financial approaches, are cost-free, bias-free, and
readily available."

Similarly, a local government
official interested in learning more about applying for TIFIA could take a look
at the TIFIA fact sheet. "We expect the TIFIA part of the Web site to be one of
the most frequently used in upcoming months," McElroy says. "MAP-21 increases
TIFIA to $1 billion per year, so people in the transportation community will
definitely be consulting our Web site to learn about it."

Other useful information on the
site includes detailed profiles of more than 50 projects
that have benefited from the office's tools and programs. The profiles feature
information on project locations, costs, sponsors, and construction schedules.

The portal is a valuable tool
for FHWA, State, and local staff, as well as policymakers, researchers, and
other transportation professionals. As a researcher with the Brookings
Institution who uses the site regularly observes, the portal provides "a
comprehensive foundation from which to dive deeper into specific funding and
financing strategies."